Butterfly
by YounGrasshopper
Summary: Butterfly enters into the world after DOA3. Ayane has just finished her vacation on Zack island and returned home. She never would've guessed that, after returning home, she'd embark on a journey of revenge that would decide the fate of humanity. Enjoy!
1. Home Sweet Home

**Butterfly**

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or DOA.

**Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home**

A young girl sat at the shore of a white-sanded beach. Her muscular-toned body was tanned to a gold shade. The radiance of her skin was exaggerated with her red bikini top and black shorts. Her amethyst hair swayed with the wind, and hung low at neck length. She licked her lavender lips, as her red-brown eyes peered to the oceanic horizon which was beautifully painted by the sunset.

The rhythmic sound of wave breaks calmed her mind. Beads of sun-glistened water smoothly slid down her skin. In time, the warm waves, crisp air and the gorgeous sunset, had soothed her to sleep. She fell back against the pallid sand and rested herself.

Scenes of the past few weeks, flashed before her eyes. Times of playing volleyball, chatting, and shopping with the other women on the island, played like reruns in her mind. As she dreamt, she smirked, realizing that she became closer to the other women. She learned, that life isn't entirely all work; life has it's time of fun and leisure.

Abruptly, a cadenced beat of thuds had shaken the young woman from her slumber. As the first thud sounded, the teen's eyes shot open. Her eyes cut to the direction of the noise's origin, and narrowed as a fell voice called something which could not be discerned. She remained on the ground, in the same position of her sleep, until the voice was acknowledged.

Soon, a faint voice cried out her name, "Ayane…Ayane!"

Once the voice called her name again, Ayane rolled her eyes, and relaxed her shoulders. She turned onto her stomach, placed her palms on the soft ground and pushed herself upright. Once she was standing, she turned to the other girl running childishly toward her. Ayane sighed realized she became uptight for no cause. She turned her head to the long-haired brunette and gave a slight grin.

The brunette wore a pair of brown boots, blue denim jeans, and a gold halter top with the yellow silhouette of an eagle printed on the front. Her lightly tanned skin amplified her dark brown eyes and straight auburn hair which hung down to her mid-back. The girl stopped in front of Ayane, bent down, placing her palms on her knees.

"Hello Hitomi", Ayane greeted in a low monotone voice, as she was stilled tired from her nap.

Hitomi, still breathless, held up a finger, signaling for Ayane to be patient enough for her to catch her breath. After a few short moments, Hitomi could speak again.

"Ayane, the plane is gonna leave in an hour. All the girls are almost ready to leave!" Hitomi said, almost rushing Ayane to leave.

Ayane sighed and started to turn back to the hotel which was at the center of the island, "Okay Hitomi. Save me a seat", Ayane said, walking away.

"Um… Ayane?" Hitomi said, giving a light smile.

Ayane stopped walking and sighed again, then glared at Hitomi as a response.

Hitomi pointed to the entire right side of Ayane's body, "You might wanna wash that off."

Ayane looked to where Hitomi pointed, noticing that the wet side of her body was feathered in sparkling pale sand. She then glanced at Hitomi and began walking again shaking her head.

As soon as Ayane reached the hotel, she was almost trampled by all the women rushing with several bags of luggage down the hallway. After avoiding the frantic stampede, she made it to her suite. Following a hot shower to wash the sand from her skin; dressing herself in a red t-shirt, with denim overalls and black sneakers; and packing her luggage, she made her way to the plane.

On the walk to the plane down the concrete walkway she looked around the island, at what would be her last memories. She felt somewhat depressed that she had to depart from such a stunning place.

She sighed and spoke to herself, "This was too short for a vacation."

She arrived at the plane, walking on the wooden pier, and leaving her luggage to the baggage handler. She boarded the water plane and walked down the aisles glancing at the 7 other women on board, ranting away with each other. She found her seat, across the aisle from Hitomi and sat down. The sound of the plane door slamming against the hull crashed.

"It's been a fun vacation, hasn't it Ayane?" the cheery voice of Hitomi had awakened Ayane from her drowsiness.

Ayane turned her head and simply nodded to Hitomi, as she still did not want to talk.

"Remember when we tag-teamed Tina and Lisa? We kicked their butts! Especially when you spiked it into Tina's stomach and knocked the wind out of her!", Hitomi ended.

Ayane just giggled to herself as she remembered the memory which Hitomi brought up. She shook her head and gradually her smile turned into a grim face again. She yawned and rested her head back against the seat. Ayane was still too tired to stay awake, and she began to doze off again. Just as her eyelids sealed, a loud voice had awoken her.

"Aww! Somebody needs a nap!" Hitomi said smiling at Ayane.

Ayane had remembered the last time she had hit Hitomi, which was in the last Dead or Alive tournament. A vein arose on her forehead as she wanted to relive that last fight she had. Though she would never hit Hitomi, Ayane tightened a fist anyway to relieve the anger. She just wished for undisturbed nap.

To solve the problem, Ayane turned on her side facing the window, and away from Hitomi. Ayane closed her eyes again, and shortly after her mind shutdown and hibernated for the duration of the flight. Soon after Ayane snoozed, her dreams activated and played early memories of her childhood.

All the images in her head blazed by so fast, it was almost difficult to comprehend them. Although, they slowed down and the image of a muscular man, with a scar across his face, and a white beard stood in a rain storm, was laughing as lightning struck.

Choking a man in his arms he said, "I have come for the Torn Sky Blast!"

Ayane ran toward the man with tears streaming out of her eyes while screaming his name "Raidou!"

Ayane attempted to fight the man, but he managed to block her attacks then uppercut Ayane sending her against a wall unconscious. The next image was Ayane waking from her unconsciousness, the scene was the same; Raidou stood there laughing but young man, her brother Hayate, stood in front of him then charged at Raidou.

Hayate made an effort to fight Raidou as well but fought worse than Ayane did. As soon as Raidou unleashed a barrage of rapid punches, and Hayate fell to the ground. He recovered swiftly and held an open palm toward Raidou, letting out an intense growl of strain. As his palm was held outward, the rain and wind began to change course and directed itself in his palms.

"No, not that! Don't use it!" Ayane cried out to Hayate, though his pride prevented him from hearing her.

"Now, I have the Torn Sky Blast as well!" Raidou shouted as he stood into a sudden change of stance.

Surges of electrical energy shaped into an orb in the palms of the furious-looking Hayate as he pulled his arms backward ready to unleash something powerful. Raidou simply imitated Hayate's movements in his own ways. Suddenly, time had seemed to slow down, sound became muffled, rain drops and wind moved at a sluggish pace. The two fighters pushed their arms frontward sending there energy toward each other. The forces, opposing each other, clashed against each other forming a vast sphere of power that swiftly grew by the second. The clashing energy grew large enough to erode the ground beneath it and devastate anything that came in contact with it.

Soon enough, Hayate began to grow weak and the energy was too great for him. The light brightened face of Hayate fell into shock as the rush of energy exploded. The blast had sent Hayate into the air away from the scene.

"Master Hayate!" Ayane cried out as she witnessed Hayate airborne.

The force of the explosion sent Hayate into a tree with such force that he broke through it with the back of his neck. The collision caused Hayate to loudly gasp as consciousness left him.

The memory faded to black in the mind of Ayane, and transferred to another. Ayane stood in a foot of snow as a fierce snow storm took place. She glared at the body of Hayate on the floor slowly being buried with snowflakes. Then a heavy breathing had echoed amongst the trees. Ayane turned to the breathing sound and saw a black silhouette in the midst of the white aura that filled the forest. The shadowy form approached Ayane with heavy steps, and it breathed again, and again.

"Father…" Ayane said to the figure.

Instantly the surrounding area of blistering winds, and white snow had turned to a desolate area with blazing heat and flames circled around Ayane and the man who stood in front of her.

"This is for you" Ayane finished as she stood at the figure named Genra, Ayane's foster father though the only man she considered her real father.

The rumor spoke that a tall man, in chrome samurai armor was causing havoc in the Dead or Alive tournament. It was said he carried a long double-sided purple energy saber which he seized countless lives with. The rumor addressed his name as, Omega. No one knew what exactly happened to the peaceful clan leader, nor how he transformed into this monster but Ayane didn't care any longer.

Ayane looked at Omega, his chrome armor protecting him well; his black- horned helmet made him look daunting; and his chrome mask shadowed his face but, overstated his glowing red eyes which looked intently into Ayane's concerned eyes.

Ayane did not wait any longer, as the heat was unbearable and the fumes were slaying her gradually. She charged at Omega and jumped into the air, spun around and attempted to heel kick Omega in the face. Sadly, Omega anticipated her attack and grabbed her leg. He swung her up and down beating Ayane into the ground then whipping her back to her starting point of battle.

Ayane stood up quickly and ran at Omega again then let loose a series of kicks and punches which landed perfectly but the force was dulled by his strong armor. Omega took his energy saber and spun vertically in front of him like a plane propeller. Ayane, startled, fell back avoiding the deadly saber blades. As she fell back she noticed a piece of her hair was singed off and it slowly drifted to the ground as she plummeted toward the ground. After falling on her back Ayane stood up once more, only to see the purple saber fly toward her stomach. The saber did not impale her but electrocuted, severely burned and sent Ayane back several feet.

She rolled sideways on the dusty scorching floor. She groaned at the pain in her stomach. She held her stomach but was too determined to surrender. She stood up again, blood trickling from her mouth; her shirt torn and covered in blood, her skin was burned to a shade of red.

She ran at Omega, yet again, she kicked Omega in the face with such a speed and force; he was knocked over to the ground. As Omega touched the ground, a roaring wind blew around him, pushing Ayane back. She crossed her arms in front of her face and kept her standing balance but her feet dragged in the ground as she was pushed back. Ayane relaxed her arms and looked at Omega with sorrow in her face.

Omega held out his hand to Ayane and shot out a gust of flame toward and continuously held the flames until Ayane would die. Though Ayane was at the losing edge of the battle, she looked up at the flames as the reached out toward her. She ran against the flames, her skin burning at the second; and the tears of grief that flowed from Ayane's eyes evaporated immediately against the fire. Once at a close range, Ayane jumped into the air horizontally. Her legs, which were flying toward Omega, twisted in a spiral and tightened as her arms crossed on her chest. Ayane's body spun in the air like a human drill headed straight for Omega.

As she spun, her body flew at a rapid speed and her feet pierced through Omega's thick armor, and brutally struck his chest and shattered his bones. Omega was sent back numerous feet and fell to the ground. Instantaneously as Omega fell to the ground, his body was consumed into flames.

Ayane watched the flames eat away at the corpse of Omega. The sky glowed orange and black as nightfall was at hand. As Ayane's sight became blurry, she closed her eyes and let the water from her eyes rolled down her cheeks. Cries echoed through the night as Ayane stared at Omega.No… it was Genra Ayane remembered her childhood and training with Genra, and she gave the flames a grim look. She looked at the ground and saw Genra's purple energy saber. After picking it up, she spun it around performing a sign of respect toward Genra's death. After deactivating the saber, Ayane placed the weapon away and wiped away the last tear from her face. She walked away and let the flames consume the body. The dream faded away.

Ayane awoke peacefully, and she failed to ignore the tears in her eyes. She wiped her eyes her wrist and sat upright in her chair. She glanced out the window seeing the grand city of Tokyo below.

"Ayane? You okay?" Hitomi questioned amongst the loud chatter of the other women on the seaplane.

Ayane dried her face and sniffled, "What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"I don't know, you were crying in your sleep. Have a nightmare?" Hitomi argued back.

"No, it's just… allergies." Ayane responded, letting her pride take over.

Hitomi just shrugged the conversation off and stared out the window, pressing her face against it in amazement. As the aircraft descended through the wispy clouds that hovered over the city, Ayane began to pack her carry-on. As time passed, the seaplane eventually touched down at the airport. Ayane gave a big exhale, and unbuckled her seatbelt. The hatch door opened and a miniature stairway was wheeled against it. With a glum look on her face, Ayane left the other women to exit first. Seeing that Hitomi was in the aisle, Ayane followed behind her, glaring down at her floor; musing on the dream she had previously.

All the women waited outside for their rides, and as they waited they continued to speak to each other. One by one, the ladies' rides arrived and they left, but none left without saying goodbye to the person they hadn't spoken to since the volleyball tournament.

As a limo pulled up, Tina glared over at Ayane and ran up to her to give her a hug, which was quite awkward due to Tina's build. "Ayane, I'm going to miss you so much! It was great to spend a vacation with a great blackjack player like yourself. I can't believe you could beat me!"

Ayane smirked remembering the times of playing with Tina and other women; times of "lady luck" playing with Ayane in a game she hadn't participated in before. Ayane returned Tina's hug and waved goodbye. The back window of the limousine rolled down, revealing the gruff face of Tina's father, Bass Armstrong. The blond-haired man slid down his sunglasses and looked at Ayane. Bass and Ayane went into a 3 second staring contest, and then Bass unexpectedly slid down his glasses and amongst his blond beard, grinned and gave Ayane a thumb up.

Ayane knew what he meant; she had beaten him in the previous Dead or Alive tournament. The face behind Bass' smile had still been in shock as he wondered how such a small girl could defeat such a big man. Though, the door closed as Tina entered and the limousine drove away.

Ayane was alerted of the next person to leave as the buzzing sound of helicopter propellers was present. A black 'copter lowered itself blowing debris in all places. As the chopper hovered a rope ladder was dropped down. Ayane stared at the women climbing aboard the ladder. It was Christie, a dangerous assassin who was a difficult opponent to defeat. Christie merely waved to everyone as the helicopter flew away.

Eventually everyone had left saying there farewell, excluding Hitomi and Kasumi. Hitomi wanted to walk home since her apartment was close to the airport.

"See ya at school Ayane!" Hitomi said running off dragging her luggage around.

Ayane waved bye to Hitomi then glanced over at Kasumi. The half-sisters stared at each other for minutes. They hadn't settled their differences completely, but the feud had weakened and they were at ease with each other. As Kasumi nodded, she spun around, and vanished into a cloud of cherry blossoms.

Ayane stood there, alone in the middle of an empty airport. She glanced out at the ocean and breathed in the salty air. She sighed and took her single bag of luggage and placed it on her back. She began to take a long march back home. One thing ran through her mind as she walked. _Home Sweet Home. _


	2. The Truth

**Butterfly**

Disclaimer: I don't own DOA or any of these characters.

**Chapter 2: The Truth**

Ayane, after being left alone, walked away past the airport's silver gates and onto the sidewalk of the city. After a while she made it to the outskirts of Tokyo, where the street lamps and the lights from store signs were her only source of light. Ayane glanced down at the ground, watching her feet shuffle her along the hard concrete below her. Very few people walked about, still keeping a silence that did not disturb anyone else. Though, as the silence consumed the area, Ayane lost awareness of her surroundings and began to zone out. The silence was soon disturbed by the sound of a car engine, soft but audible. A small blue sedan pulled over close to the sidewalk, moving at Ayane's walking pace. Soon after the car could maintain stability, the passenger window had rolled down next to Ayane.

Among a shadowy figure, a soft but manly voice called out, "Ayane…"

Ayane resumed walking, glaring at the floor beneath her, her eyes ever-open.

The voice called out again, "Ayaneee……." The voice said, trying to shake Ayane from her meditation.

The voice cried out a third time, but with force this time around, "Ayane!"

Ayane jumped away from the car, being startled. After a short moment of calming down, Ayane glared at the figure and finally identified the man.

"Master Ryu…is that you?" Ayane questioned, tilting her head waiting for a response.

The car stopped and the interior light turned on, revealing the man that was to Ayane's expectation.

"Yes it's me Ayane," Ryu replied with a hint of sarcasm, "can't you recognize my voice?"

Ayane approached the car and leaned in the open window, "Heh, I'm sorry; it's been awhile since I've seen you, but what are you doing here?" Ayane questioned.

"Hey, I can't just leave you to walk all the way back to the Hajinmon village could I?" Ryu answered, gesturing for Ayane to get in the car.

Ayane opened the door, first tossing her luggage in the back seat then she sat down herself. After closing the door, Ryu handed Ayane an object wrapped in a black cloth. She looked confused and tilted her head then reached for it. As soon as she touched it, the image of a shadowy figure surrounded in tall flame flashed before her eyes. Ayane pulled back her hand, seeing these images.

"Is it-?" Ayane questioned, assuming Ryu knew what she was talking about.

Ryu simply nodded and uncovered the object. Ayane's eyes widened with shock. It was Genra's energy saber, a weapon she greatly feared. As she held it, a short past moment passed in her mind. It was the moment when Genra had violently struck Ayane with the saber in the stomach sending her backward into the blazing heat.

Ayane came back to reality, hearing Ryu speak again, "We have done research on it, and for some reason, we can't duplicate its technology. Who ever created it was highly intelligent, beyond the minds of many in the my clan"

Ayane was hardly listening to Ryu rant on, though the subject of the matter was quite important. Ayane was just fascinated by it and stared at the deactivated weapon.

Soon Ryu realized he was getting no attention at all, but he couldn't blame Ayane. He just shrugged and began to drive the car up the street onto the highway. The rapid succession of street lamps illuminated the vehicle every second, while there was a dead silence in the car. Only the soft sound of the radio would play some j-pop music. Finally, Ryu grew impatient with the silence and broke it.

"So…how was the vacation?" Ryu asked.

"Oh," Ayane looked down and smiled remembering the good times during the vacation, "it was very nice thank you. I was able to know the other girls better. It seems I may have judged them too quickly. On top of that, we played some volleyball. I never knew it was such a brutal sport. We all ended up with cuts, bruises and even Hitomi ended up with a bloody nose. Well, that was sorta my fault." Ayane said rubbing the back of her head smiling innocently.

"Well, it seems like you had fun. I wish I could've gone. It's been awhile since I enjoyed the scenery of the ocean." Ryu responded.

"Mhm, I'm sure. You want to be with the ladies I bet. Don't lie Ryu. You may be a super ninja, but you are still a man." Ayane said still smiling innocently to the point where Ayane would have a halo hovering over her head.

Ryu slightly turned red, concentrating on driving, "I…but…I don't mean…" Ryu became stuck in the conversation and ended with four words, "I need a vacation..."

Ayane chuckled but her happy expression faded back to a mellow one gradually. She looked back down at the blade, and from that moment on, no one said a word.

Eventually, Ryu turned onto a dirt road, a road that had to have led to Ayane village in the forest. Two red wooden pillars, with another lying atop of them drew close as Ryu continued to drive. Ayane glared at the pillars, her village's gate.

Ryu drove past the gate, into the main courtyard. As Ayane smiled with joy, she quickly grabbed her luggage from the backseat and opened the door and stepped outside.

"Thanks Ryu!" Ayane said gratefully.

Ayane watched Ryu's car drive away. The beaming red taillights and the crackling sound of rocks under tires were the last she saw of him. Her concentration was disturbed by a sense of someone watching her. She slowly turned around, seeing most of the friendly villagers, standing in a group quietly. She smiled, seeing her old friends run toward her in a riot. As the villagers formed, almost a circle tightly around Ayane, they asked her questions but all was gibberish to Ayane. The dilated sound of the many voices in the crowd was too much for one's mind to take in. She finally found the courage to talk but it was not what the villagers wanted to hear.

"Thank you very much for coming out to see me but, I can not answer you all at once. So I ask that you all talk with me tomorrow after I have rested. Thank you again, it's very nice to see all of you." Ayane shouted, but soon lowered her volume as the crowd silenced.

The crowd then left back to their homes scattering in different directions. One person, after the entire crowd left, decided to linger, and it was someone whom Ayane had not intended it to be. It was a woman dressed in a kimono of assorted flowers, with long black hair, hazel eyes, and roughly the same height as Ayane. The two women stood there for a few minutes in a stare off of emotionless faces. Ayane's eyes became wet, and a tear rolled down her face. Shortly after, the other woman had done the same.

Running to the woman, Ayane cried out "Mom!" and hugged her tightly.

Ayane's mother, Ayame, began to sob and hadn't said a word, but only hugged her daughter. It had been years since she saw her own mother. Ever since Kasumi became a runaway, Ayane had yet to see any of the villagers including her mother. It was a joyous time indeed, a mother and daughter united once more. The happy moment was interrupted by a small voice aside them. It was one of the servant's and as he was looked at, he bowed with great respect.

"Miss Ayane, we have prepared your room. It's going to rain soon." The servant said, still bowing his head.

"Thank you very much, it is well appreciated." Ayane said, smiling.

After the servant had left, Ayane and her mother journeyed up to the black castle which its foundations laid in the mountain. After they entered the castle they moved to Ayane's room in which was prepared for them as the servant said. As they entered, they found new folded kimonos hung on bars in the corners of the room. A table in the center was set with tea and food and black pillows as the seats. On the right wall, hung a beautiful painting of Fujiyama, and on the left wall hung assorted weaponry, decoratively sheathed. Ayame entered the room first, and sat down while Ayane entered. As soon as they began to feast, a conversation had begun.

"So Ayane how was your vacation. Did you enjoy yourself?" Ayame started.

"Oh it was very good thank you. You should have been there mother; it was such a beautiful island." Ayane responded.

"Islands are always a pleasure to be on. Anyway, who else went with you? I'm sure it wasn't just you."

"Oh, the girls from the tournament had gone too. I still wonder why none of the men were invited. Though it did give us a chance to get away from them and actually get to know each other better."

"It always is. Men can be a burden at times, but do tell what you did, I'm quite curious"

"Since I had arrived on the island, I just wanted to swim in the water and just enjoy the view, but there was so much more to do. I went clothes shopping, well more for swimsuits but it didn't matter. I played some volleyball with the other girls but Kasumi and I didn't win the tournament. Anyway, I did go play at the casino and…"

Ayame had cut her daughter off, "Casino? Ayane you know better than to gamble."

"No, it was alright, mom. The money was only good on the island and nowhere else. So it didn't matter whether I lost it or not. Though I did manage to win every gamble I made. Other than that, I just y'know… socialized, watched a few movies."

"Well it sounds like you had a grand time. But I have something I want to talk to you about."

"About what, mom?"

"About what happened in the 3rd tournament…" Ayame finished speaking; a long silence had taken over the room. "What happened to Genra, Ayane? Perhaps, I can put this puzzle together"

"What puzzle?" Ayane questioned.

"You'll see, now, please tell me what happened." Ayame said, in a serious tone.

"Well, it all started with me and Hayate". As Ayane described the story, their imaginations made it a dream more than monologue.

In a snowy forest, where white birch flourished, two figures stood facing each other in the storm. Ayane, wearing a black ninja uniform and her brother Hayate in white stood face to face staring each other down.

"I can not let you do this Ayane. Genra must be destroyed and I am the one to do it." Hayate called out amongst the wind.

"But Hayate…this is something that I must do. I-I can't explain it…" Ayane said in a shaky voice.

"No…" Hayate bluntly said, his cold stare piercing into Ayane's eyes.

Ayane was too determined to lose this chance, and she would kill Genra, even if she had to defeat her brother first. Ayane finally realized what she had to do. That moment she positioned herself in the Hajinmon-Ninjutsu stance, and awaited her brother's response. Hayate closed his eyes, almost amazed at Ayane's determination but his pride, caused him to underestimate his sister. Hayate stood in his own Tenshin-Mugen stance and waited for the fight to begin.

"…why?" Ayane asked, in an almost silent voice.

Hayate's patience had run out, and he charged at Ayane with aggression in each step he took. He threw a fierce punch at Ayane, but she was too distracted to focus and she was sent back a few feet, onto the ground. Hayate watched her sister hit the snowy floor, looking completely helpless. Nonetheless, Ayane was too determined to give up. She reformed her stance and braced for her brother's next move. Hayate dashed toward her again but found himself in a fight of strikes, blocks and counter moves. For hours they fought, each taking their own share of blows.

Finally after two devastating clouts, the two opponents backed away from each other. They stood face to face, staring each other down, one wanting to win, the other not wanting to fight. Ayane stood, slightly bent forward, holding her stomach while a trail of blood dripped from her mouth. Her brother stood his face swollen, in several places, holding his right shoulder. Hayate's loss only caused him to fight more; he wanted to defeat Genra himself.

He ran toward her sister, one final time. Ayane nodded her head, almost giving herself confidence. She began to spin in place in an almost ballet form. Her spins became rapid, and she began to spin, several times per second. As Hayate drew close, he jumped into the air and whipped a fast kick aiming towards Ayane's face. As the kick drew closer, Ayane moved backward while spinning, and as the kick pulled back she moved forward again. Without hesitation, Ayane threw a kick of her own, using the momentum of her spin to power it. The blow struck Hayate in the stomach before he touched the ground from his own attack. As Ayane's foot made contact with Hayate, he was sent back and broke through a thin tree, then lay on the white ground.

Hayate was rendered unconscious and he lay on the ground as the white flurry buried him. Ayane quickly regained stability then looked at the damage she had done. She looked down, closing her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheeks, weeping for her actions. She wanted to comfort her brother but something told her not to. The area became silent, even the fierce wind had calmed. A large dark figure appeared amongst the sallow blizzard. The sound of breath under metal sounded, the origin apparently coming from the shadow.

Finally, Ayane and her mother's attention focused back from their imagination to the actual conversation that was taking place.

"…and that's when I saw Genra. He was wearing his samurai armor and the silver mask too, but something was really different about him." Ayane said, almost fading back to memory.

"Different…what was different?" Ayame asked, as if concerned about what happen.

"Well…his eyes were glowing red, and he was so much more muscular than before. His skin was black, so dark it was just inhumane. He also had a sword that I had never seen before. It was double-side, but the blades were just made of energy and cut through anything. I couldn't believe what he had become but I knew that he couldn't have turned this way by choice, he told me himself, 'Power leads to corruption, and that's why we learn our limits and control ourselves.' He must have been cursed by a sorcerer, a witch, or some kind of magic." Ayane spoke, pausing between each sentence to think of the past.

"I see… I do not know what happen to him but I know something that may lead your story Ayane." Ayame responded zoning out herself remembering her own memories. "It was a normal day…" their minds faded into their imaginations again.

Ayame had just opened her eyes waking from her long restful slumber. She rose out of bed and after taking care of her morning routines she ventured outside and stood by the railing along the walkway which circled the castle. She looked at the horizon, staring at the beautiful sunrise. She looked to the right, noticing a black object, which she could not make out.

"What kind of bird is this…?" Ayame asked herself. Soon a rapid beat pumped through the air and she noticed the spinning blades of a helicopter. Her eyes narrowed, noticing she was mistaken realizing it was just a passing helicopter. She looked away from it, into another direction. Soon the chopping sound became louder, and then several different ones had begun to sound. Ayame turned back at the helicopter, only to see six of them, instead of one. She leaned away from the railing and began to walk towards the door, her eyes still fixed on the approaching air crafts. As the sound became deafening she ran into the door way. As she did, the guns of the helicopter shot at her position.

She ran inside to warn the others, but it seemed that everyone else had been aware of the situation. All those who were to defend the village were gone. The others had stayed in the base of the castle. Ayame ran down stairs to the others and waited. All that could be heard were gunshots and explosions. Everyone in the castle was frightened, and shivered in fear. Then, an explosion had taken out a wall of the castle, and as the smoke had cleared, a large robotic-looking man walked in the room. It held a gun, with a laser-sight, and wore a helmet with a one large red lens in the center.

He looked at everyone in the room, the sound of his heavy footsteps, were joined by clinks of metal. As a low static noise came from the man, he held his hand on the side of his head.

"Mission completed, at ease", a voice stated.

The man nodded his head and walked out of the building. Then, the helicopter sounds faded, and explosions stopped. Ayame hesitated before leaving, and then ran outside in a hurry trying to find Genra. The village was damaged, rooftops had been blown away, walls were struck down, and several buildings were on fire. She saw several of the warriors and ninjas retreating to the castle, and scattering away into various buildings. All of them, wounded, bleeding, and begging for death. Ayame looked around in horror to see all these people in their state of health.

Soon a thought came to her mind; she looked up and ran down the main road screaming, "Genra!" repeatedly. She bothered many, asking for the location of Genra, but they all had the same response. _They took him. _

Ayane and her mother came back to reality again, and a dead silence haunted the room. Ayane grasped her kimono tightly and looked down at the table before her.

"So…someone took him, and made him into that beast?" Ayane asked with a mix of sorrow and rage in her voice.

Ayame rose up, and moved to the doorway, placing a hand on Ayane's shoulder saying, "It would seem so… Ayane, do not dwell on it. What's done is done; we can not alter the past. You should be relieved, now that you know the truth. It's safe now, there's nothing to worry about." Ayame left the room, leaving Ayane to have a time alone.

In the silent room, Ayane looked at herself, in the reflection of tea, and mused for minutes. Thoughts ran through her head, an endless brainstorm of questions. _Why him? Who were they? Why did they take him? To what point and purpose? Maybe, if I was here, instead of chasing Kasumi, I could've saved him. It was my fault they took him. I wasn't here! It was me! _As Ayane pondered she began to blame herself, her face developed a stir of anger.

One the servants had slid open the door and popped his head into the room, talking from behind Ayane, "Miss Ayane, your room is ready. Please, rest. You need you need sleep; you have a long day tomorrow. We think that vacation as thrown you out of balance, so you'll have full course training. Not to worry, we're having a party to celebrate your arrival afterward!" the servant left.

Ayane sighed as the servant left, "You're home now, Ayane. Everything's back to the way it was. Mom was right, I can't change the past." Ayane stood up and left the room, as she walked she thought once more, "I had my time to mourn. He always said to utilize my time wisely; and I will". Ayane went to her room, and slept peacefully for the night, no dreams, no thoughts, just silence.


	3. Training Day

**Butterfly**

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or DOA.

**Chapter 3: Training Day**

The soothing sound of beach waves sounded throughout the air. A long red-haired girl sat near a coconut tree, staring blankly into the oceanic horizon. She sat in a means, that her legs were stretched and crossed, and her arms were stretched back behind her so all her upper weight was put on her hands. She wore a one-piece swimsuit which was colored in several shades of pink. Her red hair hung loosely down her back and swayed to the direction of the wind; her light skin was illuminated with the brilliant sunrise; and her coffee eyes were narrowed, an expression of fatigue was upon her.

Ayane, who wore a purple two-piece white bikini, approached the girl gradually. Her arms hung limply with her hands clenched into fists at her side. Every step Ayane took, she deeply sighed, as if being very edgy. The malleable sand felt like broken glass to her, every step brought her discomfort. As soon as she came within a pace of the girl, she relaxed her hands and took a deep inhalation while facing the back of the girl.

"Kasumi…?" Ayane said, like a child would call a mother when they were scared.

Kasumi's head turned right, only so the side of her face was discernible; Ayane had attained her attention.

"You know, I've been thinking, and I've lost countless nights of sleep over this thought." Ayane said, pausing for a moment. "Why do we fight, Kasumi? Ever since our childhood, we've been against each other. Ever since you left to get Hayate, I've had this…grudge against you—" Ayane had been interrupted.

Kasumi tapped the ground beside her and turned her face to Ayane smiling. In a high but pleasant voice she said, "Sit".

Ayane blinked with the look of inquiry on her face. She had been surprised Kasumi was being so hospitable. After her thoughts Ayane decided to join Kasumi on the sand. She sat with her legs spread apart, her elbows rested on her knees, and her back arched frontward. As she spoke, she didn't look at Kasumi, but the golden water in front of them.

"You were saying?" Kasumi said, curious at to what Ayane was going to say.

"…Well, I've been thinking about our child-hood. I realized that this hatred spawned from envy. You always were the favorite, and you got what you wanted. As a child, I let immature envy get the best of me. That bitterness built up and it turned me completely against you. And well—" Ayane paused for another moment.

"Go on…" Kasumi said cutting the silence, and somewhat predicting what Ayane would say.

"I looked back at the good side of our childhood. We had fun together, but the love died off. One day I went to school and I saw these sisters who love each other very much. That's when it hit me. I thought, 'I have a sister, despite what's happened, I should love her anyhow right? We should love each other for who we are, not what we've done or what we think'". Ayane completed.

Kasumi looked at Ayane with a warm smile that would placate even the most disheartened person. "You… have truly said what has been in my heart this whole time" Kasumi said nodding.

Ayane only returned a look with another smile. "So does this mean we can go back to being just sisters again?"

"Nothing would please me more, Ayane" Kasumi, said with a joyful look.

Ayane held out an arm to Kasumi and said, "Sister?"

Kasumi nodded and smiled once again, "Sister." As the two, now reunited sisters finished, they gave each other a loving hug.

Ayane closed her eyes with joy, as she felt as if something had been lifted from her. Caught in a moment of bliss, she opened her eyes to find herself awoken from a memorial dream, and back in her room at the Hajinmon castle. She sighed, rolling her eyes, disenchanted from her awakening. Soon after Ayane awoke, there was a knock at the door.

"Mistress Ayane? Breakfast is being served; we would like you to attend. Please be there as soon as possible." A voice said outside the door.

It became soundless again as footsteps faded away from the doorway. Ayane stretched out all her limbs, extending the blanket that was over her. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Ugh, I don't want to get up…" Ayane said in a whining manner. She knew she had to arise but had no incentive to. She could've just stayed in bed all day, but she thought that to be absurd. Finally, Ayane found the energy to stand. Her purple nightgown hung on one shoulder, and drooped down to her knees.

She washed herself, and took a long bath, then dressed in a silk kimono that held the design of a sunrise on the back. She exited her room and made her way into the banquet hall. There sat many of the people of the village, and Ayame sat at the far end.

Ayane joined her mother at the end, and kneeled down by her. Some people had already begun to eat, which told Ayane that she was late. For a moment, Ayane felt a vibe that she was being watched but soon discovered that it was just her mother.

Ayane turned her head and lightly smiled and asked, "Is something wrong, Mom?"

Ayame just smiled at her daughter and responded kindly, "You aren't wearing your hair ribbon."

Ayane ran her fingers gently through her hair, realizing that she had forgotten this special ribbon of hers. "Um…yea." As she said this she looked away at the table.

"You look good Ayane. You seem more relaxed. Why don't you let it grow?"

"Well, I want to stand out. You and Kasumi both have reasonably long hair. I think one of us women should have our hair short. Wouldn't you agree?"

"You have a point. You always did have the most unique hair. It's so pretty. The color is so elegant. As you know, you got it from your father, that's unnatural color."

"You're probably right, but I think… other than the color, the rest is from you. I am your child after all."

"Oh, don't flatter me Ayane, I'm getting too old. I lived your years, now you have a chance to be beautiful"

"Old? Nonsense! You look as young and dynamic as I am!" Ayane exclaimed.

That moment a few servants brought Ayame and Ayane their breakfast. The conversation had began from complements and turned to recent happenings. Though the entire time they spoke with each other, they both enjoyed the time. As hours past, Ayane had kept no track of time and the day seemed to go by in a matter of minutes.

The scattered light of the morning sun shining through the windows had vanished. Breakfast had accidentally moved into the time when lunch would be held. The conversation between Ayane and her mother was still quite lively and interesting, but to Ayane, it was about to end unpredictably.

A group of men approached and interrupted the conversation, "Mistress Ayame, please forgive our discourtesy, but Mistress Ayane must be excused for the day", one of the men said, kneeling throughout the entire announcement.

Ayane looked rather puzzled and responded "Excused? For what reason?"

The man looked at Ayane looking somewhat shocked, "Mistress Ayane, have you forgotten so soon?"

"Hm, I must have, I wouldn't ask a question that I already knew the answer to. Would I?" Ayane said.

"Well, it's time for your training of course. You've been gone to the tournament and vacation for several months. You are out of tune. We can see it just by the way you walk." The man said, answering Ayane's question.

Ayane smiled, "Do my hips really sway that much?" Ayane said, cleverly, though only her mother laughed. "Perhaps you're right though. The vacation was a time for me to relax; now it's time to get into shape again." Ayane arose but to her surprise, so did her mother. Ayane turned her head and questioned, "Where are you going mom?"

"I am going to examine your training. I want to see my daughter in action." Ayame replied.

Ayane walked away, being ushered by the men, and her mother trailed behind her. Ayane disliked the fact that she'd be observed by someone other than her trainers. She grew quite nervous and feared she would repetitively fail her tasks.

It was a long walk to the training ground. Ayane had to change her habiliments; subsequently they would walk outside, past the castle through a tiny forest, and to a piece of land caught between two cliff sides. The land overlooked a small lake and Fugiyama was distantly in the milieu. It was noon; the sun was beating directly over the training grounds. The cool air from the lake and winds from Fugiyama chilled the air to a moderate temperature. Ayane stepped into the training ring, along with 4 other men.

"So when does it begin, I'm ready" Ayane said, in a very anxious attitude.

Ayane did get the answer the answer to her question, in a way that was most distasteful. As she finished her questioned she turned around to look at her trainer, but the last thing she saw was a large fist headed straight toward her face. Ayane was struck in the left cheekbone, and fell to the ground with immense force.

The trainer looked down at Ayane, smirking and cracking his knuckles, "Apparently you are not ready".

"Oh, was that really necessary?" Ayame said from the outer ring.

The trainer looked at Ayame, and shrugged. Not a hint of pity was in his eyes. "It seems that you'll need more training than you thought. Even your mother could've avoided that, effortlessly", the trainer said as a taunt, but to Ayane's surprise, he was serious; and to make it worse the statement was factual.

"Well, that is true…" Ayame confirmed rubbing the back head, wanting to deny the fact by she couldn't.

Ayane on the other hand was in denial. She couldn't believe that her mother, whom was much older and supposedly less fit, was more able to complete the training than she was.

Ayane had been on the ground for a moment or two, mostly lost in thought. Whether she was mortified or still incapable to regain permanence, she decided to stand again. As she stood, she found herself, only a few inches from her trainer. She glared at him, almost with anger in her eyes for the sly punch that he delivered to her earlier. As she felt the pain in her face again, she narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

The trainer, with his arms crossed, scoffed. Nearly concomitantly to the trainers sneer, Ayane felt a great sense of paranoia. She had tried to make out what this sense was and the moment she did she bent forward, ducking her upper body. Once she did this, she saw a fist flying above her. Time seemed to slow down as her eyes were fixed on the fist. She followed the fist, watching it dig into the trainers smirking face. The sounds of shattering teeth were muffled by his closed mouth.

As time, in Ayane's perspective, returned to normal she observed the trainer descend to the floor, cataleptic.

"Uh-oh", the man behind Ayane said, fearing the consequences for punching his own master.

Ayane chuckled and stood over her trainer, look at his distended face, and blank eyes. At this time, Ayane was the one doing the scoffing. "Well, at least I can take a punch. I think it's you, which needs the training." Ayane said to the unconscious man.

Ayane stood upright again, and turned around, only to be face to face with her own mother. "Mom? What are you doing?" Ayane queried stepping back from surprise.

"You really think I'd let a haughty man, like that, train you? If so, you must be joking. That's why; I'm going to train you." Ayame answered.

As Ayame finished, she took off her kimono, exposing herself in a ninja outfit. It was quite old fashioned, compared to Ayane's. No ninja wore that uniform any longer; it must've belonged to Ayame in her ninja days. After folding her kimono, and placing it on the bench outside of the ring, she tied her hair into a pony tail with a black ribbon.

Ayame's black ninja outfit was composed of pants, and a long-sleeved shirt exposing her midriff. Long thin openings ran down the outer side of her pant legs, presumably used for aeration. Her skin had shown absolutely no sign of age, and toned muscles proved her to be athletic. Ayane was astonished at how young and fit her mother looked. If no one knew Ayame was Ayane's mother, they would've surely assumed they were sisters.

As soon as Ayame had fastened black, fingerless gloves, she stood into a stance, one that Ayane couldn't distinguish. Ayane, first vacillating, stood into her Tenshin-Mugen Hajinmon stance. Ayame dashed toward Ayane at an unbelievable speed, and as soon as she came close enough, she leaped into the air unleashing a round house kick toward Ayane. Ayane was too stunned to do anything and the kick struck her in the neck. She staggered to the side, and awoke from her dumbfounded state. She quickly regained her stance and gazed at her mother.

Ayame ran toward Ayane again, throwing a punch toward her stomach, then another kick to sweep her. Ayane parried her mother's punch and jumped over the sweep kick. Ayane, while in the air, spun around and let loose a spin kick toward her mother's face. Ayame merely ducked and grabbed Ayane's leg and threw an uppercut which landed perfectly into Ayane's stomach. Ayane was sent higher into the air with this powerful blow, but soon flipped and regained stability before she hit the ground.

Ayane stood up to see Ayame tossing a bokken to her, while holding one herself. Ayame attacked Ayane with swift strikes of her bokken Ayane seemed to block most of them. Any attack Ayane didn't block, either missed or left vibrant red marks on her body. Later in the fight, Ayane finally found the courage to counter. As Ayame attempted to strike Ayane; Ayane dodged the attack and struck her mother in the wrist which wielded her bokken. Ayame dropped her sword and found herself being swept from her feet and landing on her back. The next thing Ayame saw was her daughter's bokken, pointed at her throat.

"Good job Ayane…You can defeat your mother." Ayame said, looking up at her daughter.

"I'm still in shock that you were capable of doing all of that. It's…incredible." Ayane said, complementing her mother.

"I never fight anymore, but if I have to I will." Ayame said, panting. Ayane helped her mother up, almost dropping her from the oily sweat from each other. Ayame sat down, sweating prolifically. It seemed the slits in her pants served a purpose at the time. "Now, it's time for your final part of your training." Ayame said, tossing Ayane a long bow staff, "Go stand in the middle of the ring".

Ayane did as ordered and waited. Soon, 4 ninjas appeared on all sides of Ayane. They unsheathed bokkens, and then attacked Ayane from all angles. Ayane took her bow staff and defended herself from the unvarying attack that was brought by the ninjas. It was constant attack that Ayane defended herself from for several minutes. Finally she decided to take an opportune moment to counter.

She blocked the attack of one ninja, and kicked him under the chin. He was sent into the air then struck down as Ayane hit him in the stomach. Another ninja decided to attack, but Ayane was quite aware. She dug her bow staff into the ground, brought her body into the air and rapidly kicked the ninja until he fell. Two ninjas remained, and Ayane glared at them. She ran toward them and pole-vaulted into the air. She soared holding onto her bow staff. She landed right between them, facing one ninja. She held the bow staff horizontally, and then turned her body so the staff would strike one ninja in the back of the head, the other in the front. They both fell in different directions but nevertheless, Ayane emerged victorious.

A faint applause sounded in the background, "Fantastic job Ayane. I'm not even sure if we needed to train you after all." Ayame said smiling.

"Are we done?" Ayane said, very tired and hungry. Ayane was sweating greatly, she had already soaked her clothes to the point were it simply stuck to her skin.

"Yes we are, now let's go to that party." Ayame said walking toward Ayane.


End file.
